Long Time Gone
by poliwonk
Summary: Future Fic. What happens when the success George finds as an attending is shaken by someone close to him.GeorgeNew Character BurkeChristina MeredithDerek [minor mention of AddisonMark]
1. Chapter 1

Long Time Gone

Disclaimer: Not mine, can't even compete with Shonda. I'm just chilling with the characters, I promise I'll put them back when I'm done so please don't sue!

Chapter One: What a Good Boy

George O'Malley looked down at the copy of Philadelphia Magazine with his picture on the cover of the brand new issue entitled "Top Docs". It had been ten years since he had begun his internship at Seattle Grace and he almost marveled at how much he had changed since then. Since he came to Philadelphia to become the attending Cardio-Thorasic surgeon 3 years ago he had made a real name for himself, and was now being hailed as one of the cities best. He had gotten married four years before to a young lawyer he had met in Seattle, ironically at Joe's. Lydia was beautiful, brilliant and made George feel happier than he could imagine. Or so he had believed.

The past year things had gotten more strained as he spent more time in the OR and she at her office. They always seemed to be somewhere other than with each other. He tried hard to make time for the two of them, but even when they were together they never seemed to be able to find something they wanted to do together. They used to simply enjoy spending time together, no matter what it was, but now little things seemed to annoy her. George wanted to start a family, but she felt she needed to focus on her career. Everything seemed off.

George walked up the stairs to their Rittenhouse apartment excited to show Lydia the cover of the magazine, opening the door he could tell instantly that something was wrong. The house was quiet- too quiet.

"Lydia?" George called out, walking in to the living room. "Are you home?" Then he saw it. On the breakfast bar between the kitchen and the living room sat a note with his name on it. He picked it up, even as he was afraid to read what was inside.

_Dear George,_

_I'm so sorry I don't have the courage to tell you this in person. I just can't live like this any more George. We barely speak to each other. I've been seeing someone from work for the past 6 weeks. I'm moving in with him. I'm so sorry._

_-Lydia_

_

* * *

_

For the next few days George barely moved from the couch in the living room. He canceled his surgeries, claiming illness, and simply wallowed in his anger and sadness.

_Fucking Lydia_.

George couldn't wrap his mind around how their marriage had gone so wrong. He had tried to make the time, even doing the stupid little things they tell you to do to keep romance in your relationship like candlelight dinners and surprise tickets to the ballet- and he hated the ballet. They say that adultery is only a symptom of something else wrong in your relationship, but George was reminded of a line in "When Harry met Sally" where Harry tells his friend that the "symptom was fucking his wife".

Suddenly he heard his cellphone ring. Rolling off of the couch, he clutched his head which throbbed from a hangover and stumbled over to his coat sitting exactly where he had left it days ago and fumbled in the pocket for the phone.

"Hello?" His voice was husky, and he certainly didn't feel like talking to anyone.

"George? It's Preston. How are you? I've been trying to get a hold of you for days! I called the hospital but they said you were out sick and your home phone wasn't picking up."

"Oh, yeah." George suddenly remembered that he unplugged the phone a few days ago not wanting to speak to anyone. "I've just had this horrible flue for the past few days, trying to get over it." Most people would be surprised but George could be a fairly creative liar when he had to be. Usually, he would be overjoyed to hear from his close friend and mentor. It had been a while since Burke and Christina had visited with their son Parker. Between Burke's new position as Seattle Grace's Chief, Christina's new position as a pediatric surgeion, and George's flourishing career they didn't have much time to visit. But at this moment he really didn't want to talk to him.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But I hope you don't mind if I get quickly to what I wanted to tell you. Our cardio attending, Dr. Hahn, is leaving to go to Chicago and I was hoping I could recruit you away from Penn to come back west to Seattle."

"Oh." George settled back down on the couch knocking over a few empty beer bottles he had left on the floor.

"So, what do you think? I'm sure you need time to talk to Lydia, but there's plenty of law firms here and I doubt she'll have any trouble finding a job."

George sat there for a moment thinking. He could stay here in Philly with its constant reminders of his failed marriage or he could go back to Seattle to memories of different sort.

"George? George you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I'll take it."

"You sure? Why don't you take some time to talk to Lydia about it."

"No, I'm sure. I'll give my notice at the hospital tomorrow and let you know when I can be out there."

"Ok. Well I'll talk to you later then."

"Yeah, sure. And Preston?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the offer."

"No problem George. You take care."

With that the two ended their conversation and George decided it was time to sober up. He had the opportunity now to restart his life, and he wasn't going to waste it.


	2. King of Wishful Thinking

Long Time Gone

Disclaimer: Not mine, can't even compete with Shonda. I'm just chilling with the characters, I promise I'll put them back when I'm done so please don't sue!

Chapter Two: King of Wishful Thinking

George had given notice at the hospital and even left a message on Lydia's cellphone telling her where he was going. He seemed to be all ready to leave- except for one thing.

He had no idea where he was going to live.

He had checked classified ads in Seattle but found nothing to his liking so far. The last time he had found himself homeless in Seattle, he had crashed on Burke and Christina's couch. While they had moved into a large house, the awkwardness of that last extended stay and the addition of their son would make it impossible. Besides, George was older now, almost 39, and needed a place of his own. All of this left him with one option- he would have to call Meredith.

After their one-night stand, George and Meredith had slowly re-build their friendship and it had taken a long time, but they were now quite close and spoke frequently. She and Derek had finally married 8 years ago, and now had two children, Clara and Benjamin age five and three respectively. Meredith had kept her mother's home after she and Derek built their place on the land where the trailer once stood, renting it out to incoming interns. He hoped that perhaps he could persuade her to rent it to him until he could find his own place.

Tentatively, George picked up the phone and dialed and as soon as he heard the ruckus on the other line he worried that he had made a mistake. On the other end George could hear a screaming five year old Clara, Meredith and Derek's eldest daughter.

"Hello?" An exasperated Meredith answered.

"Hey, Meredith. It's George."

"George! How are you!" Meredith's voice brightened considerably when she heard him on the phone.

"I'm doing alright. Have I called at a bad time?" He could still hear Clara's plaintive tears now joined by the howls of the three year old Ben.

"Yes, its fine- we just got some cranky kids who just got home from day-care. Hey! Hey! Clara, what did I say about the cookies? No, more cookies! You're going to ruin your dinner!"

"Look I can call back later if it would be better."

"No, no this is fine. Benny get out of the cabinet. Burke says your planning on coming back to Seattle, is it true?"

"Yeah, actually that's why I'm calling." George began to pace in his living room. He was never very good at asking for a favor. "I was wonder- you still own your mother's old place right?"

"Yeah. Actually, the interns who had been living there just moved out."

"Really, so it's available if I wanted to, say, rent it from you? It's just that I haven't found a place yet, and I don't really want to live in a hotel. I can afford to pay you a good price and I'll take care of it."

"Of course George! I'd much rather have you and Lydia in the place than try and find some new interns who will undoubtedly trash the place."

George's heart sunk a level when he heard Meredith mention his ex-wife. He hadn't told anyone yet, but he knew he would have to eventually.

"Um, look Meredith, Lydia won't be coming with me. We're getting a divorce."

"I'm so sorry George."

"Thanks" Suddenly George heard a loud crash over the phone.

"Oh, Shit! George, I've got to go, Benny just nocked over Doc's water and food bowl. When you get in, just stop by my house and I'll give you the keys. I've got to go, bye!"

The phone clicked dead on the other end. George felt an odd nostalgia fill him. He missed his friends but was aware of just how much their lives had moved forward when compared with his. Christina and Burke, Meredith and Derek, even Izzie and Alex had their families. Without Lydia, George was just George. Going back to Seattle would be difficult. Would his old friends have time for him? Would they be wrapped up too much in their own lives? Looking around his apartment at the boxes that surrounded him, he wondered if he made the right choice.

**A/N: So I realized after I put this chapter up that it had some huge, I mean HUGE, continuity errors. I changed the names and ages of children (even the number). So, I'm replacing this- hopefully to much better reception.**


	3. Old Apartment

Long Time Gone

Disclaimer: Not mine, can't even compete with Shonda. I'm just chilling with the characters, I promise I'll put them back when I'm done so please don't sue!

Chapter Three: The Old Apartment

Walking up the steps to Meredith's old house- his old house as well- George nervously played with the keys he had picked up. He slowly turned the key in the front door, and was surprised to see that the house had changed so little sine he had lived there. The furniture was the same, the carpeting, everything just as it had been. Dragging boxes in the door, he wondered if maybe this had been a bad idea, renting the house. It held so many memories, good and bad. He didn't know if he could ever really make it his.

Finished with moving his things in George was tired, he would start at Seattle Grace tomorrow and could think of only one place he needed to go before then: Joe's.

Pulling up out front of the old haunt, George felt a smile tug at his lips. The place held some of the best memories of his time here. When he walked in Joe looked up from the bar and fairly bowled him over with a huge bear hug.

"George O'Malley what the heck are you doing here!"

"I'm back in town, starting at Seattle Grace tomorrow as an attending in Cardio."

"That's great! Where's the wife?"

George glanced down at his feet. "She- uh- she left me."

Joe patted him on the back and guided him to the bar. "This one's on the house then" Joe poured him a shot without asking for any more details which George was grateful for. About a half-hour later, a striking brunette walked in and sat at the bar a few seats down from him. She asked for a shot and drinking it quickly, looked over at George.

"I'm Erin" She lent over to shake his hand. "I usually don't drink like this- actually I usually don't drink at all. It's just tonight I really needed a drink."

George chuckled and smiled the first real smile since Lydia left.

"I'm George. So why do you need a drink so badly tonight?"

"Well, I just moved here, and I'm starting a new job tomorrow and I don't know if I'm really ready for all of this 'grown-up' stuff."

George chuckled again. She was pretty and funny. George felt himself loosen up inside. "I think I know what you mean." For the next hour they talked, laughed, had a few more drinks, enjoying each others company immensely. Eventually Erin looked down at her watch.

"It's getting late. I should probably head back to my apartment so I can get some sleep for tomorrow."

Something in George deflated a bit at that. "Oh, okay."

"But- I don't really want to go home."

Something in George felt brave in a way he hadn't in years, something told him to reach out for this moment and seize the initiative. This would be a small way of reclaiming the pride that Lydia had shattered when she left him. So before his more cautious self could talk him out of it he spoke up.

"You could always come home with me and we could continue our conversation there."

She smiled broadly, getting the implication of George's suggestion. "I think I'd like that."

George smiled. "Alright, then. Shall we?"

"Indeed." With that they closed their tabs and bid Joe goodnight.

Driving back to the house with Erin, George nearly lost his courage. Erin was young beautiful, what was he doing taking a girl like this home, what could she possibly see in him. He was a nearly forty year old man who had been left by his wife. Walking through the door, George felt the old nervousness that he had thought he left behind at 28.

"So, this is it." He shuffled a bit. "It's a bit of a mess 'cause I just moved in."

"It's nice."

"Thanks, I-" Erin grabbed George and kissed him firmly on the mouth. Forgetting his timidity, he allowed himself to relax and enjoy the moment, the feeling of connection with someone that he hadn't had in so long. The kissing became more intense and they moved upstairs towards the bedroom. A half-hour later, George felt like a man again.

The next morning George woke to his alarm-clock and the sight of a body naked in bed with him. It took a moment before the evening came back to him. He smiled as he leaned over and looked at the beautiful sleeping figure beside him. He should probably wake her up.

"Erin."

"Hm?" She rolled over and opened her eyes. "Good morning." Her voice was husky with sleep, and George was very tempted to reenact the previous evening's activities.

"I've got to get ready for work, as I imagine you do."

"Yeah."

"But, I'd like to see you again, if that's possible?"

"Definitely." She smiled.

Fifteen minutes later, while George was still in the shower she had called a cab and head out, leaving him her number on a slip of paper by his bed. When George saw her tidy scrawl he mentally reminded himself to call her that evening to find out how her first day at work had been- come to think of it, she had never mentioned where that was. But he didn't have much time to think of it, glancing over at the clock he noticed that unless he got a move on he would be late. Grabbing his cup of coffee he headed out the door down the familiar road to Seattle Grace.

Having been briefed by Burke and anxious to get started, George headed to see his first patient. Walking into the room he saw Dr. Reese, the resident with his team of interns.

"So, Dr. Reese. Whose presenting?" Looking down at his chart George didn't take much notice of the interns around him.

"Dr. Benning." George continued scribbling notes till he heard a familiar voice answer to the name.

"Elaine Kurtz, was admitted last night with chest pain. EKGs have shown a midly arithmea…"

George nearly forgot his bearings upon hearing her speak. And looking up he saw Erin there dressed in the scrubs and white coat of an intern. George could only think of one thing at that moment- he was screwed.


End file.
